Vehicle steering-wheel.



J. L. WILSON & (1.0. MILLER.

VEHICLE STEERING WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4. 1916.

1,237,231. Patented Au f14, 1917.

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' UNITED-STATES PATENT OFFICE.

' JOHN L. WILSON ANDY CHARLIE oJMIL LER, or mo-unrvnaivon, OHIO. v

VEHICLE STEERING-WHEEL.

To all whom it a 1 I Be itlmown that we, JOHN L. WILSON and CHARLIE (l MILLER, citizens of the United States, residing at Mount Vernon,

in the county of Knox and State of Ohio, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Vehicle Steering-Wheels; and We do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the combination and arrangeme .and use the same.

:steering wheel.

inventionfsuch'as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make This invention relates to'steering wheels for motor-and other vehicles, and has for I 15 wheel of novel construction and means asits primary. object to provide a steering sociated therewith for supplying heated air to the rim and spokes ofthe wheel to retain the latter in a heated'condition.

With'this and other obj'ect's in view,'the invention consists in the novel construction, of parts as will be hereinafter specifically described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Flgure 1 represents a top plan view 1 of the improved steering wheel, partly broken away,

Fig. 2 represents a diametrical sectional view through the steering wheel, partly in view on the line 44 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 represents a fragmental sideeleva tion of a modified type of heater for the Referring to the drawing indetail, wherein similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throu wheel as an entirety, which includes a hollow rim.7 and a plurality of hollow -spokes 8 and 9 communicating with the interior of the riin 7 and connected at their inner ex tremities by a hub, designated generally by the numeral 10, and adapted to be secured or equivalent means ll-upon the by a nut steering post12 of avehicle. includes inner and flanges13and 14, being connected adjacent the spoke-'9 by a pairof spaced partitions '15, chamber 16 communicating with the in- The hub 10 outer spaced depending oil, electric, '1n a houslng trate ghout the several views, the numeral 6 indlcates the steering ,i g respectively, the flanges defining" a Hub being provided 'terior of the spoke 9. The other or relathe steering post housing 19 directly "under atented Aug. 14., 1917. A pncau i'm a January 4,1916: serial No. 7o,1 7.

the hub l0an'd in contact with the bottom wall 20 of the hub. The outer flange 14 of the hub is formed with a circumferential opening or slot21, the ends of which ter- 'minate adjacent the partitions 15 and are" designated by the'numerals 22in Figs. '3 and 4. The slot 21 registers with a tubular extension 23, carried .by the upstandin flange 24 of the housing 18, and jthus per-' mits heated air or products of combustion passing through the tubular extension 23 to enter' the chaniben- 17 and circulate through the spokes 8, ringfl and spoke 9. The tubular extension is connectedby a cow plin '25 with an inlet orsupply pipe 26, in w ich is arranged a cutoff valve 27.

-The supply pipe 26 may be connected with the exhaust pipe of the engine of the motor vehicle,jas illustrated in Fig. 2, or-

may be supplied with heated air from an or other type of heater arranged 28 connected with the lower extremity o the supply pipe 26, as illuse v in the modification disclosed in The heated air, or products of combustion,

subsequent to circulating through and heating the spokes 8 and rim 9, enter the spoke. 9 and arerconductedlto thechamber' 16. The portion of the bottom20 of. the v hub '10'disposed in the chamber 16 is formed with an arcuate openin 30, having permanent' commun1cat1onw1t a clrcular opemng 31 formed in the top 32 of the hollow hous ing 18.' The products of combustion or heated air -pass from the chamber '16;

through the "openings 30 and 31 to the internal chamber 33 of the housing 18and are finally exhausted" from the chamber 33 c. by an exhaust pipe 34 connected by a'coupling35 with atubular extension 36 .of the ouslng 18. fWhatweclaim'isi 1. A steering wheel including a hollow hub, saidhubconnected withv ahollow steerwheel by a plurality'of hollow spokes,

said hub provided with inner and outer flanges, a housing for the hub secure'dto the said housing for the with inner (and outer steering post housing,

flanges, said outer flange encircling the outer flange of the hollow hub the outer flange of said housing for the hub being provided with an opening and registering with an opening in the outer wall of the hub, said housing for the hub being provided with means for connecting with the intake pipe.

2. A hollow steering wheel in combina tion with a hollow hub and a plurality of hollow spokes, a housing secured to the housing of the steering post, said first mentioned housing being provided with inner and outer flanges, said outer flange encircling the hollow hub, spaced upper and lower walls carried by said first mentioned housing, the space between the upper and lower walls of said first mentioned housing forming a chamber for the reception of the exhaust heat, the upper wall of'said first mentioned housing having an openingv registering with an opening in said hub, and means for connecting the space between the upper and lower Walls with an exhaust pipe.

3. A steering wheel vincluding a hollow hub, a hollow rim, a plurality of hollow spokes connectingsaid hollow rim and hub,

' partitions arranged in said hub dividing the latter into a relatively small and a relatively large chamber, certain of said spokes communicating with the large chamber and certain other of said spokes communicating with said small chamber, a housing for the hollow hub secured to the steering post of a vehicle, said housinghaving. inner and outer flan es, the outer flange encircling the hollow hu and having an openin registering with an opening in, the ho low hub, said openings communicating with the relatively large chamber, means carried by said outer flange and communicatin with the openings for connection with an intake pipe,

a chamber formed in said housing, said housing having an opening registering with an opening in the relatively small chamber in the hub, and means for connecting the chamber in the housing with an exhaust pipe.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signa- 

